By Our Democracy News GH
October 20, 2026
Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has insisted that he is under no pressure to sign the proposed US$109 million health funding agreement with the United States, saying the government will only accept a deal that protects Ghana’s sovereignty, dignity and domestic laws.
Mr Akandoh said Ghana remained open to international healthcare partnerships but would not compromise its national interests to secure external funding.
Speaking to Bernard Avle on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Monday, October 19, 2026, the minister dismissed suggestions that he was being pressured to approve the agreement.
“No, I’m never under any pressure. Trust us to take the best decision in the interest of the country,” he said.
He stressed that any partnership with the United States must be based on mutual respect rather than dependency.
“We need partnership, but we need partnership with respect and dignity. So these fragmentations and tendencies and promises of partnership — no, we will have to move from dependency to dignity, from fragmentation to solidarity,” he added.
The proposed compact was intended to replace health funding previously provided through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). However, the Ghanaian government rejected the initial agreement following a review by the Ministry of Health and Cabinet.
Mr Akandoh explained that his ministry received a memorandum of understanding (MoU) from the US delegation but requested changes after identifying provisions that raised concerns.
One of the major issues involved a proposed exemption for US pharmaceutical products covered by the agreement from verification or certification by Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).
The minister also questioned provisions relating to the sharing of Ghana’s health data with the United States, arguing that data-sharing arrangements required careful consideration regardless of whether the information was individual or aggregated.
“I’ve heard some people saying it is not individual data. They are looking for aggregated data. Whether aggregated data or individual data is data,” he said.
Mr Akandoh further raised concerns about the agreement’s framing in relation to the US administration’s “America First” policy, saying Ghana must similarly prioritise its national interests.
“So you also have to tell yourself Ghana first. So we came from Ghana first to meet America First,” he said.
The minister said the government had concluded that several provisions in the initial agreement were inconsistent with Ghana’s domestic laws.
He added that the United States had since resubmitted a revised MoU after Ghana declined to proceed with the original document.
“As of the last time I checked, they resubmitted another MoU because we decided not to go with the first one. And we are looking at it, and we’ll go to Cabinet for consideration,” he said.
Mr Akandoh also explained that President John Dramani Mahama had directed ministers to refer major decisions on which they had concerns to Cabinet for further deliberation.
The revised agreement remains under consideration, with the government maintaining that any final decision will be guided by Ghana’s national interests and applicable laws.
